His bid for freedom on a legal technicality was thrown out by a London Court of Appeal judge this week.

Mona said: “I am a Christian and yes, I can forgive him, but at the same time he shouldn’t be allowed out of prison. He has to serve his sentence. He has to take his punishment.

“You can’t just go and take somebody’s life and think that is all right.

“We need to see that he is serving his sentence for what he did. He has deprived us of a son, a father, a brother and a friend to a lot of people.”

Neil, of Highfield, Hemel Hempstead, was attempting to turn his life around after recently being released from prison and was building a relationship with his daughter – now 15 – at the time of his death in June 2007.

According to Mona he had hoped to make amends with Spires, who lived in the town’s Cuffley Court at the time, following a row and that is why they had spent the evening playing pool in a pub on a night that ended with Neil being stabbed several times.

“Kevin Spires didn’t come out with the intention of making friends, he came out with a knife in his pocket intending to do what he did,” said Mona.

“If he was sorry for what he did he wouldn’t appeal. I honestly think that he doesn’t particularly think he has done anything wrong. I don’t think he has got a conscience.”

Spires must serve a minimum term of 16 years, including the time served in custody while awaiting trial, before he can be considered for parole.